By Lisa Jordan, Writing Specialist
September 10th, 2024

Malcolm in the Middle is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2006. It features a family of many different personalities, temperaments, and interests; but overall, they are the picture of the American working-class family. The show is largely presented through the eyes of the titular character, Malcolm, but does begin to shift and balance as the series unfolds. It’s a hilarious, boisterous, touching, and award-winning look at the more chaotic parts of our daily life.

            Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines chaotic, irregular, and dysfunctional patterns. In literature, chaos theory can be applied to works that involve the possibility of a multiverse. With a multiverse comes a multitude of realities in which a story might be taking place. The slightest difference in a given reality can drastically alter the outcome of a timeline.

            With this, I have a theory that Malcolm in the Middle takes place in a multiverse.

            Now, this is just a theory-- and it probably is not a very good theory, either. However, this came to mind during my recent rewatch of the series. As an English literature student, most of my writing asks me to analyze a piece of media applying a certain “lens.” In a sense, this means that I am talking about a piece of media from a very specific viewpoint, or for a specific purpose. In this case, I want to discuss Malcolm for its chaos, plot holes, and door slams by using the lens of chaos theory. However, if I wanted to discuss Malcolm because I am interested in the topic of growing up, I could apply various theories of adolescent development.

            You can do this, too! I know, it may not seem like a fun hobby to read into your favorite shows, books, or movies like this-- but believe me, it gives you a much more interesting (and enjoyable) experience. By consuming entertaining media, you are already working your brain to absorb different parts of the plot, characters, and message; when you add in a critical and/or theoretical lens, you are able to really engage your critical thinking skills.

            More than ever, critical thinking is absolutely crucial for being a diligent student and an engaged member of society. We are in an age of information overload: between our classes, work, home life, and the vast, unending Internet, we are constantly taking in text and media that gets filed into the deep recesses of our brains. If we want to make the most informed decisions we can, we should learn how to critically think about the information we take in.

            Literary analysis, as I have stated above, is an excellent way to practice your critical thinking skills. This takes you from just being able to talk about what happens in a piece of media to the why and how it happens. It is most effective to do this when you are looking through a specific lens, which helps to orient you in how you want to think about and discuss the media in question. For example, when talking about Malcolm in the Middle, I might note that scenes often abruptly end with a black screen, and the distinct sound of a door slamming— even if there was not a door anywhere in said scene. At the surface level of thought, this is just a fun quirk of the show. However, when I begin looking through the lens of chaos theory, it becomes a symbol of the severance of one possible universe from another. Perhaps the storyline of that universe simply diverges, perhaps it is destroyed altogether; either way, the door slam is something much more significant than just a sound. Instead, it is a symbol of the possibility of the multiverse captured in the home of the average American family.

            If I were to translate this skill into my personal life, I might begin to think more critically about the ways in which products are advertised; I could study an ongoing social, cultural, or political discourse from many different perspectives to suss out the truth; I may even begin to think more critically about the ways in which information as a whole is presented to an audience, and how said presentation can change based on the source, subject matter, and intended purpose. These are all key parts of becoming an informed and educated individual in our society, and you may begin your journey through the magic of literary analysis.